Sharjah-based Al Bayader International, a global leader specialized in manufacturing and supplying comprehensive food packaging solutions and cleaning products, has come up with an urgent need to introduce the best innovations in retail market. This is in tune with the company’s policy of enhancing sustainable food packaging solutions and advance retail sales in the new phase, in light of the UAE’s focus on achieving Net Zero goals by 2050.
During the 11th Middle East Retail Forum (MRF) held on 15 November, 2022, in Dubai’s plush Jumeirah Beach Hotel, under the theme ‘Unfolding Retail Stories’, Jamil Haddad, business development & sustainability manager at Al Bayader, gave an inspiring presentation during the high-level panel discussion titled ‘Trailer/Teaser 2030: Future of Retail’, stressing on three important factors, namely sustainability, innovation, and people, as the springboards for upgrading the retail sector, which in turn witnessed significant changes such as the introduction of multi-channel models of doing business, and widespread advocacy for the adoption of new business approaches. Haddad also presented the company’s strategy and reviewed its pioneering innovations that it had successfully implemented, including adopting the circular economy business model in detail.
“The UAE announced its National Pathways to Net Zero by 2050 with a commitment to reduce absolute emissions by 18% compared to the UAE’s updated second Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement with emission reduction rates to be 45% by 2030, then reaching 60% by 2040, and reaching Net-Zero emissions by 2050. These efforts provide a valuable opportunity and embodies a comprehensive call to all stakeholders in the retail sector to make serious commitments to consolidate the foundations of sustainability,” emphasizes Haddad.
“At Al Bayader International, we have always been championing sustainable packaging solutions for the food and beverage industry, and we are committed to driving innovation in the sector to meet the growing demand from customers for environmentally-friendly food packaging solutions. This provides clear indications of consumer support for achieving sustainability goals. Therefore, the sector must cooperate and join hands to focus on reducing emissions through innovative work methodologies,” adds Haddad.
In an effort to enhance frameworks related to its corporate, environmental, social, and sustainability governance, Al Bayader International is implementing its 4-R Pathway to Circularity, which lays prime focus on redesigning, reducing, reusing, and recycling. This approach prevents plastic packaging materials from being thrown into landfills by improving ways of reusing and recycling them, and reducing the carbon footprint of packaging through eco-design to ensure circularity in every step. It also optimizes resource use to promote energy efficiency.
Al Bayader International has a wide range of sustainable packaging solutions, including the Sukkur range made from sugarcane pulp, with the production process emitting fewer CO2 emissions, which is industrially compostable, and reduces carbon footprint. Al Bayader International’s Bio’d material is another sustainable packaging solution with a new technology that allows plastic to biodegrade in landfills.
Highlighting its commitment to sustainability last year, the company installed a 980 kWp solar rooftop plant at its 4,000-square-metre Jebel Ali plant that will generate over 1.5 GWh of clean electricity annually.
